More Than a Picture
by KevyGrayce
Summary: Lately Peter has noticed he has gotten closer to his mentor Tony Stark. That scares him beyond belief. Every time he gets close to someone he sees as family, they die. This time, Peter is determined to break that unforgiving cycle by distancing himself entirely. He can't lose another person. What he doesn't take into account is that the cycle might try to take Tony away regardless.


**Summary:**

Lately, Peter has noticed he has gotten closer to his mentor Tony Stark. And that scares him beyond belief. Every time he gets close to someone he sees as family, they die. This time, Peter is determined to break that unforgiving cycle by distancing himself entirely. He can't lose another person.

What he doesn't take into account is that the cycle might try to take Tony away regardless.

Peter is ignoring Tony, then watches in horror as Iron Man falls from the sky.

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**Notes:**

Hey everyone and welcome to the new one shot! Thought I'd have a story in between my multi-chap to tide you over :) Hope this helps! Read the tags, have fun, and stay safe! ❤ 💛💚💙💜

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More Than a Picture

The morning alarm blares, vibrating the bedside table. Peter blindly reaches for his phone and fumbles a few times before shutting it off. He groans, stretching his arms, and blearily opens his eyes. First he stares at the top bunk and debates going to school at all. He just wants it to be one of those lazy days he spends at home with May. Still, he forces himself to roll onto his side and grasps his phone.

He squints against the bright light of the phone, but sleepily smiles at his lock screen. The background is a picture of him and Ned closest to the camera making ridiculous faces, MJ behind them with her arms crossed but smiling slightly, and May with her arm around MJ's shoulders and a wide grin. Peter unlocks his phone, only for his smile to fade. His home screen is a selfie of him and Tony where he has his chin resting on the top of Tony's head. Tony was trying to act annoyed, but couldn't hide the smile lines at the corner of his lips and around his eyes.

It's not that Peter doesn't like the picture, he loves it in fact. Tony is his mentor, his friend, and every ounce of the hero he wants to be for the world. He just wishes it weren't so hard to avoid Tony. Well, he isn't exactly doing it on purpose, he just…doesn't want to get too attached? He isn't sure. It's kind of like a defense mechanism at this point. If he starts caring too much, he'd rather distance himself. Otherwise it would make it all the more painful if something were to happen to Tony.

"I heard your alarm, Peter! Rise and shine!" May cheerily calls from outside the door. That's all it takes to set Peter into motion, who jumps out of his bed and gets ready for school. After he gets dressed and shoves all of his school supplies into his backpack, he heads into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning, May," he greets as he grabs a blueberry muffin off the kitchen table.

"Good morning. Your bedhead looks pretty unruly today," May comments as she ruffles his hair even more. Peter playfully swats her hand away before combing his hair down with his fingers.

"Are you still on call?" he mumbles through his full mouth. Regrettably, May nods.

"They might need me if they get too many patients. It's better than being understaffed and being forced to triage." She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. She's exhausted, that much Peter can deduce. "But that shouldn't be a problem since you're going to the Compound after school," May urges with her eyebrows raised expectantly. She has been trying to get him to go to the workshop for weeks. There isn't enough patience in the world to deal with being caught between Tony and Peter. Peter swallows thickly, the anxiety already coursing through him.

"I will! Eventually. Just maybe not today. I've got, y'know, homework and finals are coming up so I, I really can't afford to be losing any study time and I still have to patrol in case Rhino attacks again and-"

"Peter, you need to go somewhere besides this apartment and school," May interrupts his nervous rambling. She takes Peter's face in her hands and kisses the top of his head to calm him down.

"But I-"

"The suit doesn't count either." May looks at him straight in the eyes. "There's nothing wrong with relaxing and taking some you-time. You were Peter before you were Spider-Man, right?" Peter takes a deep breath, but nods nonetheless. "Exactly. Now listen to your wise aunt and spend some time with Stark after school. You'll enjoy it." May pats his back encouragingly and straightens up his backpack straps.

"M'kay, May. I love you." Peter gives her a grateful smile and takes his muffin to go.

"Love you too! Have a good day!" May calls as Peter bounds out the door and shuts it behind him.

The trip to school consists of a boring, twenty-minute subway ride and the usual ten minute walk to Midtown High. As soon as he gets inside, he beelines for his locker and pulls out his earbuds when he sees Ned.

"Hey, man," he greets while opening his locker.

"Hey! Did you see that crazy fight last night?" Ned whispers excitedly. They've been working on his whispering skills. Mostly in vain. "I mean, of course you saw it since you were there, but did you _ see _ it?!" Peter quickly shushes him.

"No, I didn't see it 'cause I _ wasn't _ there," he stresses his point with wide eyes. Ned slowly nods in understanding.

"Right." He winks, which only makes Peter want to bang his head against the lockers.

"And you two losers really wonder why half the population knows Peter's identity. Astonishing," a voice chimes in. Ned jumps in surprise, but Peter whips around to face MJ.

"Not _that_ many people know my secret identity," Peter tries to counter, but he doesn't even convince himself let alone MJ. "Okay, so a lot of people know who I am. Big deal! Most of them are superheroes or S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They don't count." MJ snorts, not even remotely swayed by his words.

"Sure, Parker. You should be grateful that I'm the only one who figured it out." She makes a good point.

"Yeah, you kind of suck at the whole 'keeping the mask on' thing," Ned points out with a slight wince. Peter can't exactly argue since both May and Ned found out he was Spider-Man because he took his mask off. In his room. Without checking said room.

"Or introducing yourself as Peter Parker instead of Spider-Man," MJ continues without remorse.

"Alright, I got it. Thanks. Point is," Peter gets the conversation back on track, "no one else here knows, so let's keep it that way." MJ simply shrugs her shoulders, but Peter knows he can count on her. Ned, however, will be a bit harder to keep from spilling the beans. Still, he's a reliable friend.

They make their way to first period, Math, and hope that their brains can handle more information for final exams.

It's the beginning of second period when Peter's Spidey Sense begins to thrum at the back of his skull, sending chills across his shoulders. Before he can even consider the possibility of a threat, his phone starts to buzz in his pocket. Luckily, it's still passing so he can answer his phone. What he doesn't expect is to see Tony's contact name lighting up the screen. He has been getting texts from Tony, wondering why he hasn't been at the workshop in a while, but never a call. The last call he got from Tony was during the ferry incident. He shivers. Against his better judgement, he accepts the call.

"Um, Mr. Stark?" he answers quietly.

"Hey, kid. You on lunch break yet?" Tony questions right off the bat, slightly breathless. Peter raises a curious eyebrow at the sound of ruckus in the background.

"It's nine in the morning," he feels the need to point out. Before Tony answers, the sound of thrusters can be heard. _ He's in the suit, _Peter mentally notes.

"Oh. Huh. Look at that. Anywho, care to skip nap time to help me out real quick? It'll only-" Tony is cut off by a loud, metallic bang. "It'll only take a sec. Scout's honor," he finishes with his usual nonchalant humor. Regardless of his casual attitude, Peter still hears the crash.

"Mr. Stark, what was that?!" At this point, both Ned and MJ are giving him concerned glances. Peter's heart hammers against his chest and he instinctively reaches for his backpack, where his suit is safely tucked away.

"Don't worry about it, just get your Spidey self over-" The familiar sound of Tony's repulsors charging and firing make their way through the speaker. Tony grunts before there's high pitched screeching. Peter wants to move, at the very least speak, but he's frozen in a barely contained panic. "On second thought, you need your beauty sleep. Stay in school, get good grades, make good life choices and all that." Tony sounds out of breath, which only adds to Peter's panic.

"Mr. Star-" Peter is promptly hung up on, leaving behind a dial tone and his shaky breathing. _ Something's going wrong you have to go help. Mr. Stark needs your help, you gotta go! _

"Peter! Rhino's fighting Iron Man live on Twitter! Dude!" Ned exclaims, practically hurling his phone in Peter's direction. Peter catches it with ease, but he's almost afraid to look at the live feed. The tingling of his Spidey Sense only increases when his eyes lock onto the screen. As soon as he sees a blurred Iron Man and glimpses of War Machine facing off against Rhino, he's jumping out of his seat and sprinting out of the classroom.

His backpack is thrown over his shoulder and, when he's out the doors of the school, he's ripping out his suit as fast as he can. The first thing he does is tug on his mask.

"Karen, pull up a live news feed of the fight in Lower Manhattan. Get me an exact location," he says with a shaky voice. He hates ordering Karen around, but he doesn't have the emotional capacity to handle anything besides borderline hysteria. He's just barely holding himself together.

"Of course," Karen responds without hesitation. As Peter puts on the suit, a window of footage opens in the corner of his HUD screen. "I've narrowed it down to the corner of Stanton and Bowery. Roughly," Karen relays calmly. Meanwhile, Peter webs himself out of the alleyway he was changing in and starts swinging towards Lower Manhattan.

His heart pounds and he feels the adrenaline flood his system from head to toe, but he can't waste time with anxiety or unyielding senses. He needs to be there to back them up. That's what they do, they're a team. His eyes dart between aiming his webs and assessing the situation via the live feed. It looks like Tony is acting as the agitator in the air while Rhodey is using his gun power from the ground. Trembling, unreliable hands somehow manage to swing Peter from building to building. His eyes flicker to the video.

Tony is ripped from the sky and thrown out of view.

Peter's heart stops.

_ Oh god, no no no no- _

"Pull up Mr. Stark's vitals! Now!" Peter yells, his voice cracking. He swings even faster regardless of his strained muscles.

"I can't communicate with F.R.I.D.A.Y.," Karen's worried voice replies.

"Why not?!" Peter demands. There's terror behind his words. "Call him!" His heart hammers against his chest, his hair stands on end, and his breathing comes in harsh pants that cause his lungs to burn. He can't do it. Not again. He can't lose more family.

"I can't. Tony Stark's suit appears to be completely offline," Karen answers with regret.

"Than call his phone!" Before Peter has the chance to panic further at her words, he lands on the asphalt of Bowery street in a wide, combat ready stance. He hears the phone ringing on his end. The first thing that catches his eye is the sheer amount of cars that seem to have been pushed out of the center of the road. Speaking of the road, the asphalt is broken apart, leaving behind large cracks and crumbled gravel. He has seen that firsthand from his previous fights with Rhino, but that isn't what worries him.

What worries him is the demolished Audi.

Peter sprints to what's left of Tony's car. The car's metal exterior is crumpled like a soda can and the interior is gutted. The seats are torn and all the windows are shattered. It looks like it was t-boned, but he knows better. Rhino caused all of it and Tony is nowhere in sight. As he gets closer, he starts to hear a familiar ringtone. _ Mr. Stark. _ He starts running in the direction of the sound, but it's suddenly cut off.

_ "Obviously you're aware you've reached the personal voicemail of Tony Stark. I'm probably out saving the universe or rescuing a basket of kittens. Leave a message with your name and number and I may or may not get back to you. But if this is you, Parker, I dare you to leave another voicemail and see how funny it is. Try me." _

Peter's blood runs cold. This can't be happening. This just can't be happening. He should've spent more time with Tony. _ Made _ more time for Tony. Now he doesn't know if he'll get a second chance.

"Karen, call back," he chokes out. Karen complies without a word and the ringtone sounds again. Peter doesn't hesitate to sprint down the street towards the ringing. When it stops, he simply shouts, "call again!"

This time, he finds the phone. On the ground. Screen shattered. _ Mr. Stark has to be here, he has to. Where is he?! _ The screen is lit up with his contact name, but the call goes to voicemail once again.

_ "Obviously you-" _

"End call," he says before the voicemail can repeat and picks up the shattered phone. As soon as the call is ended, the screen reveals the wallpaper. His mechanical lenses widen along with his eyes.

The lock screen is him with Tony. He doesn't even remember the picture until he sees it. It's a picture Pepper took while neither of them were paying attention. Peter is focusing on something in the workshop, looking down at his busy hands. His mouth is open slightly due to what was most likely rambling. But what makes the picture special is that Tony is standing beside him and looking at him with a fond, genuine smile. Tony probably didn't even realize he smiling in the moment, but it makes the scene feel much more natural. The look in his eyes is filled with nothing but love.

Peter almost can't tear his eyes away. _ I'm his background…? _ All he can hear is the blood pumping through his ears.

"Um, Karen, scan for heat signatures." He shakily sets the phone back down and continues his frantic search. It shouldn't be that hard to find Tony, he just needs to follow the path of destruction and sounds of chaos.

"Spider-Man!" War Machine rockets into the sky to shoot a concentrated blast at Rhino. The beam hits Rhino, but doesn't seem to do any damage. Peter whips his head to Rhodey's voice in time to see asphalt to explode from the blast.

"War- um, Iron Patriot!" Peter calls back and swings to the top of a building. It brings him up to Rhodey's height and gives him a better view to find Tony.

"What are you-" Rhodey starts to ask, but Peter doesn't have time for questions.

"I've got Mr. Stark! You take care of Rhino!" Peter rapidly looks around and manages to catch sight of a portion of the asphalt that looks like it split itself open. That's where Tony must have crashed.

"Keep an eye out!" Rhodey cautions as he diverts Rhino's attention, but Peter is already rocketing himself to the ground. Peter pulls himself faster using his webs, but he comes to a sudden stop when he sees Tony at the end of the destructive path.

The majority of the Iron Man suit has been mangled. Not an inch of the armor isn't dented or ripped to expose Tony. Even half of the mask is torn away. The one remaining eye of the mask isn't glowing its iconic bright blue, proving its lack of power. Half of Tony's face is visible to show the blood dripping from his forehead to chin. What scares Peter more, though, is the fact that Tony's eyes are closed. He forces his feet to move himself forward, despite the sudden weakness of his muscles and burning behind his eyes.

"Karen," he whispers, followed by an unsteady breath, "scan for, for injuries and vitals." He kneels beside Tony with his hands hovering uncertainly, not quite sure what to do. There's no way to tell if Tony is even breathing when there's still a large chunk of armor sitting across his chest. Instead, Peter simply has to wait for the scan results as he holds his breath.

It takes a few seconds for the scan to be completed.

Those are some of the longest seconds of his life.

"Please, Mr. Stark, wake up. Don't go, _ please _ don't go. I need you. I can't do this, this superhero thing without you. I can't lose you too." He stutters out his quiet pleas while tears soak into his mask. There's no way he can survive losing another person he loves, another piece of his family. Not another. _ Take me, take me. I'll do anything, just don't take him, _he silently begs.

"Heart rate is fifty-six beats per minute, mild bradycardia. Blood pressure appears to be normal, as there isn't any profuse blood loss. There is a chance for a mild concussion, but that seems to be the extent of his injuries," Karen lists off the information, which appears to affirm that Tony isn't any life threatening danger. Peter sobs out of pure relief, hugging himself with his head slightly bowed. He squeezes his eyes shut as tightly as possible.

_ Stop it. Pull yourself together Spider-Man. He's okay, get it together. In, out, in, out. He's okay, you're okay. You need to go help fight. _ He tries to give himself a pep talk to get his head back in the game. There's a Rhino-themed psycho in armor that he has to help Rhodey take down.

"Hey, look who it is. I knew Spidey would come save the day." Tony's voice makes Peter jump and he snaps his head up to look at his mentor. Tony slowly sits up with a groan, wiping the blood from his face and blinking his eyes a few times. "Shouldn't you be helping with the giant, rampaging Rhino?" he questions cheekily. Peter, however, bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself quiet, now looking down. _ He's okay, he's okay, he's okay. _ Tony doesn't fail to notice the way Peter's shoulders shake. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asks, his tone much softer than before.

Peter just shakes his head, then shrugs. He shouldn't be losing it like this, especially not in front of Tony. He doesn't want to care this much, all it does is hurt. Tony realizes there are damp patches of fabric near the corners of Peter's lenses. With a grunt, he presses the emergency release button on the inside of his heavy, damaged suit. When the mechanisms open the totaled suit with a screech, he kneels closer to Peter. He makes sure the streets are clear and there are no cameras in sight before he reluctantly slips off the Spider-Man mask. Peter's eyes are damp and swollen.

"Kid," Tony says with a sigh. Before he can continue, Rhodey flies over to them and his faceplate lifts. Peter lowers his head even further in embarrassment.

"I got our rampager all taken care of. You alright, man?" Rhodey checks, glancing to Peter as well. Tony simply nods and focuses back on Peter as Rhodey flies away to give them some space.

"Talk to me, I can't read your mind," Tony prompts gently. He steadies Peter by placing firm hands on both of his shoulders. Peter sniffs and tries to calm down, but can't find the right words. His breaths shudder and his lip quivers. Without another word, Tony pulls him into a warm, comforting hug. Peter is shocked at first, but then his fists tighten around the fabric of Tony's jacket. "We gotta talk about what's been going on. You don't come over to the workshop anymore, you don't return my texts. You're tearing apart me ego here, bud." Tony tries to keep his voice light in order to not weigh the kid down even more.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," Peter mumbles into Tony's shoulder, the guilt settling deep in his stomach. Tony hugs him tighter.

"No apologies. Just be honest with me," he urges. All he wants is to understand. What he doesn't realize is that Peter is still trying to understand it himself. Peter doesn't know where to start, so he says the first thing that pops into his head.

"I'm your background," he recalls aloud, much to Tony's surprise.

"You saw that?" Tony whispers in disbelief. He pulls away just enough to get a better look at Peter's face. Peter just nods. Slowly, Tony pulls him back into his chest. "Well, uh, yeah. You are." Tony clears his throat. "Does that make you uncomfortable? I just like the picture and if you want me to change it I-"

"No!" Peter quickly denies. Tony stares at him in confusion. "Um, I just…" Peter takes a deep breath and gathers his thoughts. "I didn't think I'd… that you'd, y'know, not that you _ wouldn't _ it's just that I…" he stutters out his semi-coherent explanation. _ Can't my brain work just this once? _

"That I wouldn't care," Tony states more than asks. He seems to be catching on quick. Peter doesn't confirm or deny, but Tony has a good enough inkling as to what the truth is. "Peter," he starts resolutely, "of course I care. I probably don't say it when I should, but I do. I wouldn't text to check up on you if I didn't. And I, uh, miss you in the workshop. Your constant rambling and comments about Vines makes it more entertaining. I miss having you around." He clenches his teeth to keep the emotions at bay. For the first time in a while, he's being honest with both Peter and himself. It's an understatement to say that Peter has grown on him. Peter chuckles breathlessly, but his smile fades as quickly as it came.

"I, I know you do. I just, I…what if I lose you too?" he admits. "It's easier to not get my hopes up." He has lost so much in his short, sixteen years of life that he isn't sure if he could handle another loss. Tony takes a deep breath and tries to figure out how he's supposed to reassure a kid who has experienced enough loss to last two lifetimes.

"I'm not going anywhere, okay?" he vows and pulls back to look Peter in the eyes. "I give you my word, and that's not something I give lightly. I'm sticking around whether you like it or not. No one's going to ever take me away from you. Not if I have anything to say about it. So no more closing yourself off or pushing people away. It isn't healthy. Capisce?" Peter stares into Tony's warm eyes, searching for even just the slightest hint of uncertainty, then nods.

With a genuine smile, Tony ruffles his hair. Tony never would've thought he'd find a kid as endearing as this one. Peter chuckles and swats his hand away before fixing his hair.

"Alright, we've caused enough trouble. Let's get you back to school before your aunt kills me and you get detention," Tony reminds as they start walking away from the wreckage.

"Is it okay if we go to the workshop instead?" Peter shyly speaks up. "May said I could go after school and I promised and, I mean, I'm already here." Tony looks anything but convinced. Then, an idea pops into Peter's head. "And Rhodey left, your suit can't fly, and your car is kinda totaled so…" He keeps his hopeful, mischievous eyes trained on Tony until the man rolls his eyes.

"You're too smart for your own good. Yeah, you can come over," Tony relents against his better judgement. "But if your aunt gets mad, I'm throwin' you under the bus. I'm not going through anymore of her lectures," he grumbles. Peter smiles brightly and stands up straighter.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the teen agrees. Tony clasps his hand on Peter's shoulder, his eyes softening ever so slightly.

"Good to have you back, kid." He casually places a heartfelt kiss on Peter's temple and gives his shoulder a squeeze. The action fills Peter's heart with love. No matter what, they'll always have each other.

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**Notes:**

Thank you so much for reading! The first chapter of Spidey Tot will be uploaded on Friday!❤️💙

Twitter: Kevy_Fanfics & kevy_grayce  
Insta: kevy_fanfics & KevyGrayce


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